Cinnamon, an ancient spice, usually is regarded as the bark of the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree; it is also called as darchin in India and Iran, canela in Protugal and Spain, cannelle in France and Zimt in Germany. In the Middle Ages or earlier, cinnamon has already been used as favorite flavor in food, wines, drinks, perfumes and fragrances. Cinnamon has been believed to benefit diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems for years.

cinnamon diabetesIn the early studies, cinnamon has been shown to potentiate the insulin effect through upregulation of the glucose uptake in cultured adipocytes. [7]

Researchers at Nagoya University, Japan, fed healthy male Wistar rats with a high-fructose diet (HFD) for three weeks with or with cinnamon extract. They then measured the in vivo glucose utilization by euglycemic clamp technique. They found that early cinnamon extract administration to HFD-fed rats would prevent the development of insulin resistance at least in part by enhancing insulin signaling and possibly via the NO pathway in skeletal muscle. [5]

Researchers in Pakistan divided 60 Type 2 diabetes patients into six groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3 consumed 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon daily, and groups 4, 5, and 6 had placebo capsules. The patients consumed cinnamon for 40 days. They found that all three levels of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose (18-29%) while no significant changes in the placebo groups. [6]

German researchers treated 79 patients diagnosed diabetes mellitus type 2 with either a cinnamon extract (3 g of cinnamon powder per day) or a placebo capsule three times a day for 4 months in a double-blind study. They found a moderate beneficial effect of cinnamon extract in reducing fasting plasma glucose concentrations in diabetic patients with poor glycaemic control. [1]

However, researchers from Netherlands did not found any improvement in glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes by cinnamon supplementation. In their study, they used a less common species of cinnamon- Cinnamomum cassia, the duration of study was only six weeks and the dose was also low -(1.5 g/d). [3]

cinnamon health benefits - blood pressure lowering effects.In a study of spontaneously hypertensive rats, researchers treated the rats with sucrose and non-sucrose containing diets together with various amounts of cinnamon, cinnamon extracts, or chromium. Diets high in sucrose content were associated with insulin resistance and the elevation of systolic blood pressure. Researchers found that addition to diets of cinnamon (8% w/w) reduced the systolic blood pressure of rats eating sucrose containing diets to virtually the same levels as spontaneously hypertensive rats consuming non sucrose containing diets. The addition of cinnamon into the diet also lowered the systolic blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats consuming a non sucrose-containing diet. Aqueous extracts of cinnamon also decreased systolic blood pressure and lowered the circulating levels of fructosamine. [2]

Cinnamon preparation shows anti-microbial and anti-infection activities.Cinnamon oil has been shown to have anti-microbial activities against some bacteria and yeasts. [13]

Five patients with HIV infection and oral candidiasis received a commercially available cinnamon preparation for one week. There of the five patients had improvement of their oral candidiasis. [14]Does cinnamon have benefits on gastric conditions or related diseases?Cinnamon extract (from methylene chloride) inhibited H. pylori at concentration range of common antibiotics. Complete inhibition in vitro was achieved by 50 microg/ml in egg yolk emulsion agar and by 15 microg/ml supplemented brain heart infusion broth. [10]However, researchers from Bnai Zion Medical Center, Israel, concluded that cinnamon extract, at a concentration of 80 mg /day as a single agent, is ineffective in eradicating H. pylori from their study of 15 patients. Helicobacter pylori has been associated with the pathogenesis of antral gastritis, duodenal ulcer, and gastric lymphoma. [9]

SIDE EFFECTS OF CINNAMON AND ITS EXTRACTSIn a study of the effects of cinnamon extract on Helicobacter pylori, the cinnamon extract was well tolerated, and side effects were minimal. [9]

Oral erythema multiforme induced by cinnamon has been reported. The disease manifested itself as chronic extensive surface ulcerations and lip swelling. The patient was treated repeatedly with topical and systemic steroids but responded to them only temporarily. The patient was cured when the offending agent--cinnamon--was eliminated from her diet. [8] Fourteen cases of cinnamon-induced stomatitis were also reported. [15]

A case of a 24-year-old woman who developed a squamous cell carcinoma of her tongue following persistent and prolonged exposure to cinnamon-flavored gum was reported. [12]

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